Shoulder supporting coat hanger



April 10, 1962 J. H. BATTS 3,029,005

SHOULDER SUPPORTING COAT HANGER Filed Jan. 28, 1960 INVENTOR JOHN H. 5/1775 5 [5,2,3 Flea ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 10, 1962 I 3,029,005 SHOULDER SUPPORTHNG COAT HANGER John H. Batts, East Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to John Thomas Eatts, Inn, Grand Rapids, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Fiied Jan. 28, 1960, er. No. 5,195 3 Claims. (Cl. 223-92) This invention relates to a shoulder supporting coat hanger. More particularly, this invention relates to a wooden coat hanger having shoulder supports for flaring the shoulders of a suit coat forwardly.

Many types of wooden coat hangers are presently in existence. One problem which has always existed with such hangers is that the shoulders of a suit coat are not properly supported, which results in the wrnikling of the suit coat since the front of the suit and particularly the arms do not drape correctly. This is of particular importance to commercial clothing interests such as manufacturers, for the suits are pressed when shipped and preferably must remain properly pressed when received by the retailer and displayed in his shop. Attempts have been made to correct this problem, but such attempts have failed because the solutions suggested were so expensive that they were impractical. Consequently, up to this time there has been no suitable, inexpensive means for flaring the shoulders of a suit coat forwardly when placed on a wooden hanger.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a means for effectively flaring the shoulders of a suit coat forwardly so that the front of the coat and the arms drape properly, thereby assuring that the shape and press of the suit coat will be retained after being placed on the hanger.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a means which is extremely inexpensive, yet achieves the desired results with complete efficiency.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a coat hanger having such a means which will not damage the suit coat in any way.

A further object of this invention is to provide a shoulder support for a coat hanger which may be quickly and simply attached to a wooden coat hanger of conventional construction, the attachment being permanent for all practical purposes.

These and other objects of this invention will become obvious to those skilled in the art of coat hangers upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the hanger comprising this invention, showing an embodiment of the shoulder support utilized therein;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the coat hanger shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the coat hanger shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Briefly, this invention relates to a shoulder support or bracket for a coat hanger for flaring the shoulders of a suit coat forwardly, one support adapted to be secured near each extremity of the coat hanger for generally horizontal extension from the face thereof. Each of the supports is comprised of a non-corrosive material providing a flat portion of a length and width considerably greater than its thickness and having means for attachment to the hanger at one of its ends.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates a wooden coat hanger (FIG. 1) having a hanger element 2 thereon. This type of wooden hanger is old and well-known, and is shaped somewhat like a flattened, inverted V, having a pair of legs 3. The supports or brackets 10 extend from the faces 4 of the outer extremities 5 of the legs 3.

In the illustrated embodiment of this invention, each support 10 is generally U-shaped, including legs 12 and a bight portion 13. The legs 12 comprise a generally flat portion 11 being of a. length and width considerably greater than its thickness. Each bracket 16 is fabricated from a non-corrosive material such as aluminum wire or well plated steel. It is important that the material from which the bracket is fabricated be non-corrosive since the garments are frequently damp when placed on the hanger. This dampness results from the steam applied to the garment during pressing. The legs 12 are bent downwardly so that the bight portion 13 of each bracket 10 lies below the plane passing through the legs. The transition zone between the horizontal portion 11 formed by the legs 12 and the bight portion 13 is smoothly rounded to properly shape the shoulder of the coat and properly drape the arms. The bight portion 13 is preferably smoothly rounded to prevent any snagging of the material.

A pair of holes 15 are predrilled in the faces 4 of the outer extremities 5 of the Wooden hanger 1. These holes 15 are of a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the legs 12 of the U-shaped bracket 10. Thus, the free ends of legs 12 may be pressed into the openings 15 and frictionally held therein. The supports 10 are thus held firmly within the holes 15 and extend generally horizontally with respect to the faces 4 of the legs 3.

It will be noted that when a coat is hung on the hanger 1, the supports 10 flare the shoulders outwardly, assuring that the front of the coat and the arms drape properly. The coat does not lose its shape or its press and is received by the retailer in the same condition as shipped from the manufacturer. It will be noted that this invention has provided such a means which is effective in operation and extremely simple in structure and inexpensive to fabricate. It may be applied to hangers of conventional design. The additional cost which such supports add to a wooden coat hanger are minimal, yet the desired results are produced.

The supports may be quickly and effectively secured to the wooden hanger. The cost of fabricating the support itself is minimal. Thus, a practical means of flaring the shoulders of a suit coat forwardly has been provided.

While only one embodiment of this invention has been shown and described in detail, it may be possible to practice this invention through the use of certain other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Such modified embodiments are to be included within the spirit and scope of this invention unless the following claims expressly state otherwise.

I claim:

1. A wooden coat hanger of generally inverted V-shape with laterally extending legs, the free ends of the legs being adapted to support the shoulders of a coat, having means for flaring the shoulders of the coat forwardly, comprising: holes formed near the outer extremity of each leg of the hanger, the longitudinal axis of said holes extending into the planes of said legs; a pair of shoulder supporting brackets, one of said brackets adapted to be secured near each outer extremity of said legs of the hanger; each bracket fabricated from a non-corrosive, generally U-shaped metallic wire; the diameter of said metallic wire being slightly greater than the diameter of said holes in said legs whereby said ends of the U-shaped bracket frictionally engage the side walls of said holes and said brackets extend generally horizontally from said planes of said legs of the hanger; and said U-shaped brackets smoothly curved so that the bight portions thereof lie below the plane passing through said ends of said' brackets, for thereby shaping and draping a coat.

2. A coat hanger having laterally extending legs, the free ends of said legs being adapted to support the shoulders of a coat, including: a shoulder flaring bracket secured to each of said legs adjacent its free end and extending generally horizontally from the planes of said legs; means on one end of each of said brackets for rigid attachment to said legs; said brackets having a body portion being of a length and width substantially greater than its thickness, said portion projecting from said legs in said generally horizontal direction; the other ends of said brackets flanged downwardly and lying below the plane passing through said body portion; said flanged ends being smoothly rounded; the transition zone between said body portion and said flanged ends being smoothly rounded; and said brackets fabricated from a non-corrosive material.

3. A wooden coat hanger of generally inverted V-shape with laterally extending legs, the free ends of the legs being adapted to support the shoulders of a coat, having means for flaring the shoulders of the coat forwardly, comprising: holes formed near the outer extremity of each leg of the hanger, the longitudinal axis of said holes extending into the planes of said legs; a pair of shoulder supporting brackets, one or" said brackets adapted to be secured near each outer extremity of said legs of the hanger; each bracket fabricated from a non-corrosive, generally U-shaped member; the diameter of the ends of said member being slightly greater than the diameter of said holes in said legs whereby said ends of the U-shaped bracket frictionally engage the side walls of said holes and said brackets extend generally horizontally from said planes of said legs of the hanger; and said U-shaped brackets smoothly curved so that the bight portions thereof lie below the plane passing through said ends of said brackets, for thereby shaping and draping a coat.

References Cited in the file of this patent 15 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,470,456 Lernke Oct. 9, 1923 2,108,853 Ghazal Feb. 22, 1938 2,457,776 Goldlust Dec. 28, 1948 20 2,536,187 Kosky et al. Ian. 2, 1951 2,548.778 Douglas Apr. 10, 1951 

